How can I get website copy that I really love?
Stepping from “please don’t perceive my website” to “everyone come look at this!”
You’re in a Zoom call. The person leading it asks everyone to share their websites in the chat.
What’s your first reaction?
For many of us, it’s something like, “Oh nooooooo. Don’t look at that! It’s not not done/I hate it/it’s doesn’t reflect where I am now.”
In short, you’re not in love with it. It’s not fun to share, it doesn’t feel good to think about, and it doesn’t reflect your best vision for yourself. And it doesn’t really work for your business, either.
We can fix that. Here's how.
If you don’t like the way your website copy sounds
It’s hard to love a website that doesn’t reflect you. And a lot of us are working with websites that feel kinda basic, stodgy, or boring.
We don’t love that.
So we need to rethink our writing process.
Writing is hard. Turning a mountain of ideas into copy that sounds like you, while keeping it “professional?” Not easy.
In a true bummer turn of events, a lot of us get so hung up on sounding “professional” that our copy ends up like the real-life version of watching paint dry. It doesn’t sound like you. Your customer can’t make an emotional connection on the page. You don’t feel good about it. Bad news all around!
Writing in this “grind out out” mentality can end up with generic copy that it’s hard to latch onto.
Let’s get specific in order to squeeze in more personality.
Think about a massage therapist for a moment. “Reduce aches and pains” is not especially good sales copy, y’all. The brain skims over it like an ice skater smoothly gliding around a rink.
Now if you got specific, like, “Turn your head without that crunchy ‘robot neck’ feeling,” you might catch the right attention. If that’s something you or your customers would actually say.
How do we fix this?
Clarify your brand voice: Think about how you want to sound—friendly, professional, witty, etc. Write this down somewhere. Refer to it as needed. If you’re not sure what your voice is, think through what feels best to share and what pieces of writing resonate most with your clients. Is there an Instagram post or email that you’ve gotten a lot of feedback on? What does that tell you about brand voice?
Talk to your audience: Talk to your people. Use their language. Talk about the outcomes that are important to them, not just what you do. Be specific and talk about outcomes. Wow, I just gave you the secret to 90% of copywriting for free. Take that and run with it!
Use conversational language: Write like you talk, they say. “Okay, Kelley, but if it were that easy I’d just be doing it.” I know, right? Let’s talk tactics. One helpful step is to record yourself talking about your business. If you record coffee chats, you’re ahead of the game here. What do you say when you’re telling a friend about your business? What makes people smile and nod?
If your website copy doesn’t fit where you are, doesn’t sell, doesn’t work, or feels like a weight around your neck instead of a sales partner
At some point after starting your business, you decided you needed a website. You probably wrote the copy yourself, or let your website designer handle it. If you didn’t have a lot of startup cash, that website designer probably did a perfectly fine rush job on it. (No shade. We know how time and money work.)
Now, you’re in a different place.
You want your website to be active part of your sales and marketing plan. But you’re not really sure what that looks like or how to get there.
How do we fix this?
Figure out priorities: Think through what you want your website to accomplish. What do you want people to do there? How will you convince them to do it? Where are the actual sales happening: on your site, your email list, or face-to-face? Then figure out a strong call to action for each page.
But seriously, with the benefits vs features: What does your service look like in your clients’ lives? Remember how I was yelling about outcomes before? It’s the difference between “This house has a 2-car garage,” and “There’s plenty of room for both the van and the Prius. So you won’t get soaked standing in the rain while you wait for the kids to climb out of their car seats.”
Everything in the right place: Plunking down a “book now” button in the middle of a bunch of information doesn’t quite cut it. Why should they sign up for your email/go to a different page/book a discovery call? Make a compelling argument by putting the right elements in the right order. (Not sure what that means? Book a 5-minute mini audit and ask. I’ll run it down for you.)
Work with a pro: If writing isn’t your strength, and you don’t feel like it’s worth plucking hours and hours from your one wild and precious life to learn how to write website copy? Throw a moderate amount of money at the problem and be on your way.
Are you ready to fall in love with your website copy?
If you want your website copy to:
- Sound like you
- Convey an accurate vibe
- Convert visitors into leads/clients
- Be exciting and fun to share
- Attract great-fit clients
Let’s take a look! Start with a 5-minute mini audit. I’ll take a look at any page on your site and give you 1-2 ideas for how to increase sales and signups.
It’s free. You don’t have to sign up for my newsletter unless you want to. And I won’t be harassing you for the rest of your born life. I’m just here to help you create a life with more carefree coffee-drinking-on-the-porch moments.
Hi, I’m Kelley! I’m a website copywriter. In short, I want to help solo service providers create cool businesses that support their families and communities. No jerks allowed. Everyone else, hop in. We’re optimizing our websites.
